Range Rover Evoque review - What is it?

What is it? The Range Rover Evoque, the smallest, greenest and possibly trendiest vehicle ever to carry the British manufacturer’s badge. First previewed as a concept car called LRX at the Detroit motor show in 2008, the Evoque catapults Land Rover into a glut of previously unexplored markets. Its ‘chunky coupe’ looks could appeal to owners of large two-doors, including the BMW 3 Series or Mercedes-Benz C-Class, or smaller ones, such as the Audi TT.

This five-door version, on the other hand, will undoubtedly make an impact in the crossover market, as well as taking sales from regular SUVs, including Land Rover’s own Freelander.

Prices for the Evoque five-door start at £27,995 for a front-wheel-drive, 2.2-litre diesel variant in entry-level ‘Pure’ trim. The cheapest four-wheel-drive version is the TD4 Pure, which has 148bhp. However, those cars get a six-speed manual gearbox; if you want an automatic you have to go for the 187bhp version of the same engine badged SD4. The cheapest SD4 is the £31,315 Pure model.

Beyond Pure there are Prestige and Dynamic, two similarly priced ‘premium’ trim levels that put greater emphasis on luxury and sporting details respectively. In this test, we’re trying the SD4 Dynamic automatic, at £38,990.

There is also a turbocharged petrol option, incidentally, but it’s available in Dynamic trim only. It’s likely to be a very limited seller in the UK.